The Pheasant Philosophises; part 2

A couple of weeks ago I trawled my county (and adjacent ones) searching for the best produce I could find to fill my fridge and cupboard for the week ahead. Today I went to a supermarket and it was as though I saw it all with new eyes. I was disgusted by the rows of processed rubbish- filled refined carbohydrate based foods, pesticide covered veg and dubious meat. As I was with my son, who at 11 still has the odd craving for Doritos and Cereal (in between demands for goats cheese and olives), I decided to do a bit of a test. Telling a child that something is bad for them never seems to put them off, in my experience anyway, so I resolved to encourage a little bit of self-education. We put a pack of Doritos in the trolley and compared the ingredients to the most basic tortilla chips available in the shop, for price comparison it was £1.40 vs 45p. He read the ingredients with an ever changing expression of horror, by the time he got to MSG which he knows is not good he was thoroughly put off and returned the product to the shelf. He then took up the, unappealingly plain, packaged Tortilla Chips; ingredients Maize, Rapeseed Oil and salt. “It’s a no-brainer Mum” , he said as he put them back in the trolly.

Which got me thinking; why do people assume that the value brands are rubbish? In a society where there are people struggling to make ends meet, why do so many buy branded products. I have watched programs on the television about people learning to get by on benefits and often they fill their trolley with brands believing that you pay for quality – which you do, but really only when there is a greater divide; an organic chicken and a basic chicken for example. But when it comes to basics versus own brand I don’t see a big difference and often the basics ingredients list is far more transparent and uses far fewer (unnecessary) ingredients hidden behind their chemical names.

But, as a consumer, you must remember that shops always place their value ranges below eye level forcing you to look a bit harder. I fully believe that even those on a low budget should be able to feed their families well, and the very basics such as pasta, rice and flour are not expensive. Perhaps look towards vegetarian options or make use of sustainably sourced tinned fish; a little goes a long way! And finally do a bit of planning, if you know what you’re having on each day it’s much easier to stick to a budget.